The complaint, filed by Jill Fields, a former supervisory intelligence analyst in the FBI's Los Angeles field office, details how the White House pushed for an investigation into demonstrations in early 2025. Fields alleges that Emil Bove, then acting deputy attorney general, instructed Akil Davis, head of the LA field office, to open a probe into protesters' activities outside federal buildings, even as several FBI employees voiced concerns about the legality of the request.
According to Fields, Trump viewed a TikTok video of protesters in Alhambra, California, who alerted neighbors about ICE officers and advised of their legal rights. The White House then reportedly directed FBI Director Patel to have the Los Angeles field office investigate those in the video because the president "was angry about the incident." Despite analysts determining that the protesters' actions were constitutionally protected and that there was insufficient evidence, Fields says she was told that "the president wants this investigation," and a supervisor acknowledged the directive was unconstitutional but said it had to be followed.
Fields also says a "dedicated immigration squad" of 10 agents was created, some taken off active cartel cases, to carry out the White House's requests, with one supervisor describing the move as "optics" to "make a show for the president."
Senator Padilla, a Democrat from California on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that the allegations are "deeply alarming" and that "using the FBI to target Americans for exercising their first amendment rights directly undermines our nation's foundational values." Padilla said he would not rest until they get answers.